Protagonist's Treatment, Classic Trope--Being Looked Down Upon

The shop assistant leaned lazily against the back of his chair, not even bothering to stand up. He merely lifted his eyelids, looked at Huo Yuhao through his nostrils, and drawled in a flat, indifferent tone:

"What are you buying? Look for yourself; the prices are all on the labels. Tell me when you've decided."

Huo Yuhao ignored his hostile attitude, his expression remaining as calm as usual.

He reached into his robe, pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, placed it gently on the counter, and slid it forward.

On the paper was a list of medicinal ingredients he had prepared in advance.

The shop assistant reached out carelessly, pinched the paper between two fingers, and unfolded it lazily—

His gaze landed on the first line, and his eyelids twitched.

As it fell to the second line, his brows furrowed slightly.

When it reached the third, his previously slumped posture straightened up involuntarily.

Body Tempering Flower, at least three years old, complete with roots, three taels.

Bone Refining Grass, two years old, thick stems and fleshy leaves preferred, five qian.

A full thirteen medicinal ingredients, from the primary components to the supplements, were all clearly listed, with the age, quality, and processing requirements specified in plain detail.

This was no "inferior prescription" scribbled by a layman; this was the work of an expert!

He quickly estimated the market price of these ingredients in his mind—

Three taels of Body Tempering Flower, about four Gold Soul Coins; five qian of Bone Refining Grass, about one Gold Soul Coin...

Adding in the other auxiliary herbs, the cost for a single dose was at least fifteen Silver Soul Coins!

And this youth wasn't asking for one dose, but twenty.

The shop assistant made a rough calculation; the total would be at least twenty Gold Soul Coins!

He had just been mocking the boy as a pauper in his heart, yet the moment the boy made a move, it was an expenditure equivalent to several years of income for an ordinary Soul Master family!

The coldness and arrogance on the shop assistant's face froze.

He looked up, re-evaluating the black-haired youth in simple attire standing before him. His eyes were complex, filled with a mix of embarrassment, shock, and disbelief—

Could this guy be playing a prank on him?

He cleared his throat, trying to keep his tone steady, but the sour, skeptical edge was impossible to hide:

"This list... are you sure? These herbs aren't cheap, and you want twenty sets—that's over twenty Gold Soul Coins. Do you... even have that much money?"

He deliberately emphasized "over twenty Gold Soul Coins," as if trying to "scare off" the other party with the figure and force out his true background.

Huo Yuhao did not speak.

He simply watched the shop assistant—who had gone from haughty to obsequious and was now full of suspicion—with his brows slightly knitted.

He wasn't angry, nor could it even be called dissatisfaction.

He didn't care about the contempt of others; after more than a decade of struggling in his past life, what kind of cold glares hadn't he seen?

He only felt it was a waste of time—especially bickering with someone so short-sighted and persistent—which made him somewhat impatient.

Just as Huo Yuhao was about to take out the Gold Soul Coins and end this meaningless interrogation in the most blunt way possible—

"Yuan Bing, what is all this noise about?"

A resonant, steady, and powerful voice suddenly came from the direction of the shop's inner hall.

Huo Yuhao looked up.

He saw a middle-aged man, roughly fifty years of age, push aside the curtain of the inner hall and stride out.

The man was tall with a straight back, dressed in a simple, deep cyan robe. Although the fabric was common cotton and linen, it was washed immaculately, exuding a calm and grounded temperament.

His face was square with thick brows, deep-set eyes, and a high bridge of the nose. Though his temples were slightly frosted with white, his eyes were piercingly bright, his gaze like deep, still water—gentle yet concealing a hidden sharpness.

He had clearly heard the commotion at the counter from inside. His gaze first swept over the flustered shop assistant, "Yuan Bing," and then landed on Huo Yuhao, who stood quietly before the counter.

Just one glance.

This glance carried no pressure, yet it "scanned" Huo Yuhao from head to toe.

It wasn't a spiritual probe, but the gaze of someone who had seen countless people and understood the ways of the world.

A trace of imperceptible surprise flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes.

A youth, facing the shop assistant's harassment and skepticism, showed no anger, offered no argument, and simply waited quietly—this level of composure was far too rare at his age.

And the contrast between those calm eyes and his simple attire was even more thought-provoking.

Seeing the shopkeeper emerge, Yuan Bing's face flushed red and then pale. He sheepishly summarized the situation in a low voice, inevitably trying to defend himself with excuses like, "I saw he was young and was afraid he'd been tricked into buying expensive herbs."

The middle-aged man's brows furrowed slightly as he listened.

He did not lash out immediately, but turned to Yuan Bing, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable authority:

"My Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion has been open for forty-three years. From nobles down to peddlers and porters, I have never heard of a rule that judges a person's worth by their clothes.

You are a clerk at the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion. When a guest arrives, your duty is to introduce the herbs, calculate the accounts, and handle the payments."

"Since when is it your place to 'worry' about whether a customer has enough money?"

Yuan Bing's face flushed red, and he lowered his head, not daring to make a sound.

"Apologize to this young guest."

The middle-aged man's tone remained calm, yet it was an order that brooked no argument.

Yuan Bing bit his lip, but ultimately dared not disobey. He faced Huo Yuhao, his voice as low as a mosquito's hum: "...I apologize. I was blind and failed to recognize a superior, and my words were unpleasant..."

Huo Yuhao glanced at him without a word, merely giving a faint nod.

He had no intention of bickering with such a person.

Only then did the middle-aged man turn his gaze back to Huo Yuhao, a sincere smile appearing on his face. He cupped his hands, his tone gentle and formal:

"This Humble One's surname is Yao, given name Sheng. I am the proprietor of this Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion. My shop assistant was shortsighted and treated you poorly; I hope you will be magnanimous, young brother."

He paused, then took a dark cyan card the size of a palm from his sleeve and offered it to Huo Yuhao with both hands.

The material of the card felt neither like wood nor stone, warm to the touch. The front was engraved with the three characters "Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion," with a rustic "Ten Percent Off" mark below.

"This is a ten-percent-off card for our shop, a small token of apology. Whenever you come to the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion to purchase herbs in the future, regardless of the amount, you may use this card to enjoy a ten-percent discount. Please, do accept it."

His posture was humble and his tone sincere, showing none of the airs of a "proprietor of a long-standing establishment."

Huo Yuhao looked at the discount card before him, then at Yao Sheng's steady and earnest eyes.

He did not decline, reaching out to take the card and tucking it into his robes.

Then, meeting Yao Sheng's gaze, he said calmly, "Many thanks, Shopkeeper Yao."

Those five words signified his acceptance of the apology and the goodwill behind it.

The smile on Yao Sheng's face deepened.

He immediately looked at Yuan Bing and instructed, "Take the herbs on this young brother's list and fetch twenty sets of the finest quality and freshest stock.

Additionally, I recall there is a batch of high-grade Body Tempering Flowers in the vault collected last year, just over three years in age. Fetch the best of those as well."

Having just been through that ordeal, Yuan Bing naturally dared not say anything more and turned quickly to head to the storeroom.

Before long, twenty sets of meticulously selected, perfect-quality herbs were carefully wrapped, placed in a sturdy wooden box, and brought to the counter.

Huo Yuhao glanced at the quality of the herbs and nodded slightly.

There was a reason this Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion was the most reputable shop in town—the quality of the herbs was even better than he had anticipated.

He did not delay further, reaching into his robes and pulling out a handful of Gold Soul Coins.

The golden coins piled into a small stack on the counter, emitting a warm metallic luster.

Yuan Bing's pupils constricted sharply.

That was... a full forty Gold Soul Coins!

Twenty sets of herbs had a market price of just over thirty Gold Soul Coins, and with the ten-percent discount, the actual cost was only twenty-something.

Yet this youth in coarse clothing had tossed out forty Gold Soul Coins without even blinking!

He had just been mocking the boy for being poor in his heart, yet the money the boy produced so casually was worth more than a decade of his own wages!

Yuan Bing felt his face burning, wishing he could crawl into a crack in the floor.

Huo Yuhao paid no attention to his embarrassment.

He calmly settled the bill, stored the wooden box full of herbs into his storage ring, and gave a slight nod to Yao Sheng: "Farewell."

With that, he turned and walked out the door of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion with a calm, steady gait.

Behind him, Yao Sheng watched that slender figure disappear into the sunlight outside, his eyes filled with surprise and admiration.

"This youth... is no simple person." He murmured to himself.